Death penalty sought against suspected Indiana serial killer

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter filed a request Friday seeking the death penalty for Darren Dean Vann if he’s convicted in the deaths of 19-year-old Afrikka Hardy of Gary and 35-year-old Anith Jones of Merrillville.

Vann’s attorney, Teresa Hollandsworth, opposed the motion, arguing that joining the two cases would be highly prejudicial to her client. She said Jones’ strangulation appears to be a murder-for-hire and not a rage killing as prosecutors contended in their filing.